Musician Lionel Hampton kisses Mrs. Lucille Armstrong, widow of Louis Armstrong, on the cheek during the unveiling of a 12-foot statue of her husband at ceremonies in Armstrong Park in New Orleans on April 15, 1980. The park dedicated to the city’s most famous jazz musician is located next to the French Quarter. (UPI Photo/Pat Benic/Files)

Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana.

Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an "inventive" cornet and trumpet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the music's focus from collective improvisation to solo performance.

With his instantly recognizable deep and distinctive gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also greatly skilled at scat singing, vocalizing using sounds and syllables instead of actual lyrics.

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